On Wednesday, Brady showed up 16 minutes late for his weekly media availability. Asked what was new, he said, "a normal week," and smiled.

The Patriots have lost three of their last four games to drop to 7-5. They lead the AFC East by one game and play at home Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. Brady said it was important for him to come to work Wednesday.

"I owe it to the guys in the locker room to really focus on what I need to do for this team," he said, "and put all these emotions aside and kind of come in here with a great sense of determination on what we have to do as a team. So, as a captain and a leader of this team, the last thing they need from me is to be really not focused on the job at hand. There's plenty of things for me to really be doing here this week."